Kentucky basketball is one of the favorites to win the SEC this season. Why are the Wildcats so highly regarded and what could push them to the top?
Kentucky basketball is seemingly ranked in the AP preseason top-10 every single year. As we look forward to this upcoming season, the Wildcats will almost assuredly be on the short-list for national title contenders. As per usual, head coach John Calipari is bringing in a highly-rated recruiting class but he also has a few different tricks up his sleeve.
These come in the form of three major returning players from last season as well as bringing in the top graduate transfer in the country. With all of these pieces on the roster, UK should be one of the clear favorites to win the SEC. This goal, though, will not be easily accomplished. This is due to the idea that, unlike the past, the SEC should be one of the strongest leagues in the country.
In fact, even if Kentucky enters the season as one of the top teams in the country, there will likely be two other SEC teams joining them in the top-10. Both Tennessee and Auburn are also projected to have outstanding seasons and the separation on paper between these three teams is fairly slim. Yet, UK is still likely to be the favorite to walk away from this season with the SEC trophy.
With this being said, here is a look at four reasons why Kentucky can still take the regular-season conference title.